


Stumbling Footsteps

by talkaboutartassholes



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen, Mentions of alcohol/alcoholism, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 14:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkaboutartassholes/pseuds/talkaboutartassholes
Summary: He was trying to break the cycle. He thought he had been doing an okay job too. Sure he had messed up a few times - yelled when he should have listened, pushed the kid away when he should have brought him closer - but he’d been getting better. And Peter had been getting better too, telling him when he needed help, coming to him for comfort and guidance. He thought he was breaking the cycle. But now…First, it was his father, then him, and now he’s racing towards Queens, weaving through traffic, trying to get to some house party to pick up his drunk kid.--or Peter gets drunk at a party and Tony fears Peter’s following too closely in his footsteps.





	Stumbling Footsteps

**Author's Note:**

> look who's back! and with the next prompt for my irondad bingo card - "Trope: Alcohol"
> 
> hope you enjoy!

He was trying to break the cycle. He thought he had been doing an okay job too. Sure he had messed up a few times - yelled when he should have listened, pushed the kid away when he should have brought him closer - but he’d been getting better. And Peter had been getting better too, telling him when he needed help, coming to him for comfort and guidance. He thought he was breaking the cycle. But now… 

First, it was his father, then him, and now he’s racing towards Queens, weaving through traffic, trying to get to some house party to pick up his drunk kid. 

“Peter, buddy, how much did you drink?” Peter had called him ten minutes earlier, slurring and confused and nearly giving Tony a heart attack thinking he had been hurt. He had tracked Peter’s watch to a suburb in Queens which is how he found out that the kid was at a party and not hurt, just very very stupid.

“Hmmm, a bunch.” Not a helpful measurement.

Tony decided to try a different angle, “What did you drink, bud?” _Please be beer, please be cheap party beer._

“Vo’ka? Tequila? Don’t ‘member.” _Shit._

He needed to know how much to break the speed limit right now but for some reason FRIDAY couldn’t pull up the kid’s vitals. Apparently, he was dead set on giving Tony heart failure tonight. “Peter, where’s your watch.”

“Pocket.”

Tony’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He was really trying his best to not get upset. It wouldn’t help in this situation, he knew from experience, but the drunk teenager with possible alcohol poisoning was making it really difficult to stay calm. “Why is it there, bud? Why don’t you have it on?”

“I’m drunk.” _No shit._ “Didn’t wan’ Tony to know. He’ll be mad.”

Tony sighed, he hated whatever he had done to make the boy believe that. “He won’t be, buddy, I promise.” He wasn’t either, he couldn’t be. “Can you please put it on for me?” Tony was pleading, but he needed to know Peter was okay.

“Mmmm, ‘kay.” _Thank God._

There were a couple moments of relative silence where over the blaring music Tony could hear Peter struggling with his impaired dexterity to try and clasp his watch followed by a slurred but triumphant, “Got it!”

Tony started tapping the steering wheel anxiously as he waited for the kid's vitals to show up on his glasses.

_**Blood Alcohol Concentration Level at .247%** _

_Fuck._ He put his foot down a little more.

“Okay, Pete, I’m fifteen minutes out, where are you?”

“Party.” 

Tony wanted to bang his head against the steering wheel. He clenched his jaw. “Thank you, bud, could you be more specific?” He asked through gritted teeth. “Are you inside?”

“Mmhmm.” Okay, at least he didn’t also have to worry about the kid’s body temperature. 

“What floor are you on, kiddo?” 

Peter made a confused noise, “I’m on a couch.”

He would have laughed if he didn’t want to cry. “What _level of the house_ are you on, Peter? I need to know where to find you.”

“First one. Living room.” Thank God, he needed to be in and out of that place as quickly as possible.

“Alright Petey, I’m only ten minutes out, stay right there for me.” Not like he’d be able to move by himself anyway.

“Mmmm. Okay, Mis’er Stark.” Peter yawned. “I’m tired.”

“I’m sure you are, kiddo, but you’ve gotta stay awake for me.” The last thing he needed right now was to be seen carrying an unconscious teenager from a house party.

There was no reply from the boy.

“Peter?”

Still no response. Tony sped up.

“Talk to me, Peter.” His voice grew urgent.

Peter let out a low whine, “Let me sleep.” 

Tony had never been so happy to hear an annoyed teenager in his whole life. He heaved out a sigh and felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. “Sorry bud, not gonna happen. I’m on my way, you’ve just gotta stay awake until I can get you out of there.” Tony had to slam on the breaks as a light turned red. 

“Mis-Mister Stark,” Peter's voice was quiet and more slurred then before. “Can you hurry up? I feel weird.”

Tony closed his eyes and willed the stoplight to turn green. “Trust me, buddy, I’m going as fast as I can.” The light turned green. Tony’s foot hit the floor. “I’m five minutes out, five minutes and we’ll be on our way home. Can you do that for me, Petey?”

“Five minutes.”

“That’s right, bud.” He needed to find a way to keep the kid talking while he navigated his way through the maze of suburban streets ahead of him. He wracked his brain for anything that might get Peter going, “Hey, didn’t you tell me you were going over to Ned’s this weekend to work on his new Millennium Falcon Lego set thing?”

Apparently, that was the right thing to say. Peter’s drunken ramblings about the number of pieces and design accuracy became his background noise as he made his way towards the dot of Peter’s watch on his GPS.

He heard the party before he saw it. Now, he’d spent a lot of his time in clubs during the ‘90s house music phase, so he probably wasn’t in any place to judge what kids were listening to these days, but he was pretty sure this wasn’t actually music. All he could hear was the bass thumping. He already had a headache so he had no clue how Peter, with his enhanced senses, wasn’t bleeding from his ears by now. 

He pulled up to the curb and was out of the car the moment the engine was off. Out of his regular business attire and in jeans and a t-shirt, he was hoping no one would recognize him, but in his panic, he hadn’t thought to grab a hat or anything to cover his face so it was unguarded to the sea of teenagers. He jogged up the steps of the porch and pushed open the front door, only to realize he probably didn’t have to worry about being recognized if all the kids at this party were half as drunk as they seemed. He didn’t have the time or energy to parent every one of these kids though; he needed to focus on his own. 

Tony started weaving his way through the mass of teens, scanning the area for Peter’s dumb face or dorky t-shirt. He turned a corner and found a room with two couches and a TV, which he could only hope meant it was the living room. His eye’s passed over the faces of the teenagers crammed onto the sofas and then stopped as they found dazed brown eyes, full of none of the life he was used to. 

Peter still had his phone up to his ear, chatting away, when his eyes widened as he finally registered Tony standing in front of him. “Whoa, Mister Stark! I was just talking to you on the phone!”

“You sure were, bud.” Tony worked to keep his voice neutral, even though Peter was definitely too far gone to pick up little things like vocal inflection. “I say we blow this popsicle stand, what do ya think, kiddo? Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Peter nodded. “This party kinda sucks.”

“You’re not wrong.” Tony leaned down and slid the kid’s arm around his shoulder, using his own to steady the boy’s back. “Come on, up we go.”

Peter stumbled into Tony’s chest as the pair stood, but he seemed to be able to walk enough that Tony didn’t feel bad half-dragging him out of the party.

“My head feels weird,” Peter mumbled.

“Yeah, well, that would be all the alcohol.” Tony slowed as they made their way down the steps of the porch, he really didn’t want Peter to eat it twenty feet from freedom. “Do me a favor, if you’re gonna vom, aim to your right. I don’t need you spewing chunks all over me.”

“That’s gross, Mis’er Stark.” Peter slurred as he tucked his head into Tony’s shoulder.

Tony rolled his eyes as they reached the car. He opened up the passenger’s side door and deposited Peter into the seat before leaning in to buckle him up. “Kid, this car is worth more than your life, so try not to puke in it.” Not like he would get in trouble if he did - in his party days Tony had thrown up in far more expensive places that were far harder to clean.

Turns out he didn’t have to worry about Peter re-decorating the interior of his car. Apparently, the kid was a sleepy drunk and was out like a light before they’d even left the subdivision. Tony had never felt so lucky in his whole life. He spent the ride back to the Tower with one eye on the road and one keeping track of Peter’s vitals displayed on his glasses. He watched as the boy’s breathing and heart rate evened out in his sleep and as his BAC level started to drop. By the time they pulled into the garage underneath the Tower, Tony was pretty sure the kid wasn’t gonna die. Still, it was probably best to get a second opinion.

“Welcome home, Boss,” FRIDAY greeted him.

He parked the car and hopped out, giving instructions to the AI as he jogged around to collect Peter. “Get me an elevator down here, would ya, FRI? And while you’re at it, could you fire up your bio-scanners and get a full read on Peter?”

“Of course. Is something wrong?”

“Hope not, just need to double check.” He opened the passenger door and knelt down to be at eye level with the sleeping boy. “Hey kid, wake up. We’re back at the Tower.”

Peter’s eyes fluttered open, “Like magic.”

Tony shook his head and made to unbuckle the kid’s seatbelt. “Sure, whatever you say, buddy.” Peter was now free of his confines, but didn’t make any move to get out of the car and his eyes had drifted closed again. “Can you stand or do I need to get some armor on?”

“Hmmm?” He sounded like he was fighting to stay awake. “I can, I can do it.” Peter slowly clambered out of the car, using Tony for balance as he did. 

“Real graceful, bud. God job.” He resumed his earlier position of ‘human crutch’ and started helping the boy towards the waiting elevator. “Alright, FRIDAY, what are your reads on the kid?”

“Mr. Parker appears to have sustained no bodily injuries, but he does have an unusually high Blood Alcohol Concentration. It is currently sitting at .203%. There are no other drugs present in Mr. Parker’s blood. His heart rate is sitting at-”

Tony cut her off. “Thanks, FRI, that’s all I needed.” He pulled the kid into the elevator with a grunt. “Do we need to make a pit stop at medical or can the Spiderling sleep it off?”

“I don’t believe any medical attention is required. Mr. Parker’s enhanced metabolism seems to be burning through the alcohol left in his system at a rate of three times that of a normal human. I suspect he should be fully sober within the next four to five hours. I suggest rehydration and sleep.”

“Alright, penthouse it is then. And text May Parker to let her know I’ve commandeered her nephew for the rest of the weekend.” The elevator started its climb and Tony shifted under Peter’s weight. Suddenly having his private garage on sub-level two and his apartment on the top floor seemed like maybe not his smartest decision.

* * *

The next morning Tony went about his routine as normal, but made sure to tell FRIDAY to let Peter know where he was when the boy woke up. As much as Tony hated it, they needed to have a talk. He was on his second cup of coffee and debating actual food when FRIDAY alerted him that Peter was awake.

He sighed and stood from his spot at the table, he should probably get something that resembled breakfast going. This wasn’t going to be a fun morning no matter what and he didn’t need to add Peter being hangry to the list of reasons why.

The last batch of bacon was just finishing up as Tony heard the telltale sound of Peter coming down the hallway. He finished plating the bacon and turned around to set it on the counter, which now housed a slumped teenager whose head was laying in his folded arms.

“Morning sunshine,” Tony greeted. “Did you take the pills and drink the water I put next to your bed?”

“Yes,” Peter whined.

“The whole thing?” Tony questioned as he took a seat at the end of the counter.

“Yes.” The boy let out a huff. “Can we get this over with?”

“Nope.” Tony punctuated his point by snatching up a piece of bacon. “We’re gonna eat breakfast because you have to be starving, not to mention it will help with how shit you’re feeling, and then we can talk.”

Peter finally raised his head from the countertop and started picking at the food laid before him. It was the first good look Tony had gotten at Peter’s face since he’d put him to bed the night before. He could see the exhaustion in the boy’s eyes and the headache clear in the crease of his brow. The kid must have been starving with his metabolism and yet he was barely touching his food. Tony knew all of this too well, except normally he was used to seeing it in the mirror, not on Peter’s bright face. Breakfast was had in unusual silence.

Finally, Peter put his fork down and pushed his plate away as Tony set down his coffee and looked up from what he was reading on his StarkPad.

“So.” Tony started, and Peter who had been looking up quickly looked away. “First things first, this was just a dumb party thing, right? You weren't doing this to cope with something that I should know about?”

“No!” Peter cleared his throat. “No, nothing like that.” Peter looked him in the eyes, “I wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Okay.” Tony nodded, mostly to himself. “Okay, that - that’s good.” He sighed. “Listen, I’m not mad, Pete. And I’m not upset or disappointed or any of the other words parents use when they mean mad. Mostly,” He kneaded at his brow before looking at Peter in the eye. “Well, mostly I’m worried.”

“You don’t need-” Peter floundered to reassure Tony, but the man cut him off.

“Let me finish here, kid.” This was going to be a lot of emotions far too early in the morning but he needed Peter to get it. “You’ve gotta understand where I’m coming from. Growing up I saw what alcohol did to my dad, the kind of person it made him. I know what it did to me. And I don’t want it to do that to you.” He had told Peter bits and pieces about Howard and obviously, his own past was public knowledge, and he knew that Peter had looked up to him when he was younger, but he had hoped that facet of his life wasn’t part of it.

“I get that you’re sixteen and it was your first time drinking, so it’s not like there’s a pattern forming here that I need to worry about, but you’re young, Pete.” His eyes were pleading as he looked at the boy. “You’re so young and I see you and I see the future you could have and I don’t want you following in my stumbling footsteps.” Memories of a different lecture came back to him but he tried to push them out. He had grown since then and he was trying to be less rash, more understanding. 

“And I know you grew up watching me make the news for my drunken escapades so I sound like such a hypocrite right now, but trust me, those are mistakes you want to learn from, not repeat.” Peter was looking at him again, timid and shy in a way he hadn’t been in a long time, but it was something. “Now, I’m not saying you’ve gotta be sober your whole life, but maybe getting drunk can be something you put on the back burner for a while.” He paused and smiled. “Like, at least until you’re twenty-one.” Peter smiled too. “That being said, if you ever do find yourself in a situation like last night again, please, for the love of all that is holy, call me. That was the smartest thing you’ve ever done, Petey.” He poked the boy right in the center of his forehead and earned himself a swat and a chuckle from the teenager. “Nearly gave me a heart attack, sure, but genius move.”

Peter smiled at him again before lowering his gaze to where his hands were picking at his napkin. “You’re not a hypocrite. Just so you know.” The boy glanced up at him again, but seemed to be unable to talk and look at him at the same time. “Maybe if you were still doing that stuff, but you’re not.” Peter shrugged as he finally gathered the courage to look his mentor in the eye. “You’re setting a really good example for me, even if you don’t think so.”

It was Tony’s turn to look away bashfully. He cleared his throat of emotions before he spoke. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m done with feelings for the rest of the day. I say we hit the lab, yeah?”

Peter beamed and jumped out of his chair, his exuberance was infectious. Tony stood and walked over to him, debating with himself before wrapping his arms around the boy’s shoulders in a hug. He rested his head on Peter’s and spoke softly into his hair. “You’re a good kid, Pete.” 

He felt Peter’s arms wrap around his torso before the boy mumbled into his chest, “So I guess we’re there now?”

He pushed the kid back only to see his shit-eating grin and poorly disguised laughter. “Alright, you little shit, just for that I’m telling Aunt Hottie the real reason for our impromptu sleepover.”

Peter’s face fell so quickly Tony couldn't help the laughter that escaped him. He made his way to the elevator, gleefully ignoring the indignant protest left in his wake.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks as always to my wonderful beta Iza, and she recently wrote her first ever Marvel fic, which you should definitely go check out [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18406742) It's Stucky and wonderful and you'll love it, trust me.
> 
> Sorry for the longer than normal time between updates, my sister was in town for 5 days, in which time I wrote absolutely nothing. Hence the delay.
> 
> Leave me a comment to let me know what you think or stop on over to my tumblr @[tstarkapologist](https://tstarkapologist.tumblr.com/)


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